Heat Wave
by kognitiveDissonanz
Summary: A hot summer day. Jane and Lisbon are on a long car ride. First, the car breaks down but that is just the beginning. When will this heat wave take over them as well?
1. Chapter 1

_Hi folks! This is supposed to be my first multi chapter story, but it depends on your opinions. So if you like this chapter tell me please and I will definitely continue :)_

_A special thanks goes again to my betareader lysjelonken!_

_Disclaimer: If only..._

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Today was one of those days when she rather should have stayed in bed. It was one of the hottest days of the year and she seriously had donned a black blouse, a long sleeved one! This morning, it didn't seem at all like it was going to be that hot. It was cloudy, it even looked like rain was coming, and of course she had no time to listen to the weather report.

But she could've just dealt with the heat somehow. She had rolled up the sleeves and tied her hair up, unfortunately only with moderate success. But she could have lived with that.

The problem was she happened to be on a three-hour drive through the boonies - nothing behind her, more nothing in front of her. Only an endless road, curling its way through the desert. She had nothing against long car rides, not really. But after the first half of the route, the air conditioning failed. Now she sat in a black car, wearing a black top and the hot sun literally boiled her.

And even all that would have been bearable, even that she would have endured somehow, if she had only been alone!

The actual bad thing about the ride in this black car, wearing a black top, with no air conditioning at one of the hottest days of the year was her company. Patrick Jane was like a little kid. When he wasn't asleep, he needed constant attention, and apparently, he had just rested. He commented on everything and everyone on this endless horror ride until she just couldn't take any more of his crap. She had screamed so loudly that you probably could have heard it at the other end of the world. From then on, he was silent.

Unfortunately, he had soon found a new way to annoy her. He had begun to watch her. Like in trance, he stared at her and she had to admit that made her even more nervous. What was so interesting that he absolutely had to constantly stare at her? She ignored him as long as possible; she fixated her gaze on the road. It was so ridiculous, but she would not respond to his game.

She was totally sweaty. She didn't know if it was because of the hot weather, or Jane's piercing gaze. Her clothes stuck uncomfortably to her skin, her hair line was surely also already wet with sweat and if that wasn't enough Jane started to mutter under his breath. Hell!

She exhaled sharply. The air was so stuffy and heavy that you almost could have touched it and she threw Jane an angry side glance. But this only provoked him to smile slyly, as he continued to mutter quietly. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel; she held it so tightly that her knuckles turned white and a squeaking sound was heard from her sweaty hands against the steering wheel. Next to her she heard a soft chuckle and that was the moment when she couldn't control herself any longer. Quick as lightning, she turned her head towards him and he shrank back in surprise. He offered an innocent smile, but that was far too little to calm her down.

"What is it?" she snapped at him.

"Nothing" he replied, smiling.

"Why are you staring at me all the time?"

"I'm bored" he said shrugging. Then he tilted his head slightly to the side and again once again directed an absent look at her.

"Jane?" she asked annoyed, but got no answer. Instead, he mumbled something she couldn't hear.

"Jane!" she cried out and pushed him roughly.

"Ow! What was that for?" he asked, pouting. But soon he began to grin again.

"That was for making my life a living hell! What are you mumbling all the time?" she asked.

"You don't allow me to speak out loud" he replied snippy.

"Fine, you have permission to speak!" she moaned in despair and a triumphant smile crossed over his face.

"167," he said as he started to watch her again.

"What?" She gave him a confused, searching look. He replied with a broad grin.

"The sweat droplets running down your neck. 167 so far." he chuckled happily and pointed a finger at her neck. She gave him a death glare.

"Jane, why don't you just look out the window?" she hissed and turned his head with one hand in the other direction.

Finally he shut up. No silly chatter, no murmurs or stares. Apparently he had actually found something out there that could attract his attention. As long as he left her in peace, she didn't care. She still had to endure at least another forty five minutes with him, until they finally reached their destination. She could not believe she was doing all this only to interview a suspect. She sighed. Why did she let Jane persuade her to take the trip anyway?

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5..." After five quiet minutes, he started counting again. He really went too far now.

"What are you counting now?" she asked contritely and tried to suppress the urge to push him out of the moving car.

"The stones on the roadside. 10, 11, 12, 13 ... " he informed her briefly, before counting on.

"Jane, I swear, if you do not stop now I'll stop the car and leave you right here in this damned desert!" she threatened him.

"You wouldn't do that," he answered unimpressed.

Before she could answer him, the car suddenly started making very strange noises. The engine sputtered and then came to a complete standstill. Cursing quietly, she tried to start the car again, but it didn't move at all. Instead, it started to smoke and hiss under the engine hood. Lisbon let her head fall on the steering wheel, hitting it repeatedly against it. Now she sat in the middle of nowhere, dressed in black, on the hottest day of the year, in the blazing sun with Patrick Jane... Stuck. Could it get any worse?

"Look, this is what happens when you are so mean to your fellow men. Karma." Jane criticized her. She would have liked to kill him right away.

"Jane, shut up and call the office so they send someone to pick us up", she growled at him, not lifting her head from the wheel. It was way too hot to rise again.

"Shall I shut up or call? You need to decide, I can't do both" Jane continued in his know-it-all tone.

"Just call!" she yelled at him and sat up straight again.

"Can't." he said shortly.

"And. Why. Not?" She asked slowly and threatening.

"I forgot my phone," he answered simply. She then suddenly began to laugh. A hysterical, almost desperate laughter. As if she was not sure whether to laugh or cry. He looked worried.

"This is great! My phone's battery's dead, and of course I thought that you would have yours with you. Since you don't, we are sitting here in the middle of nowhere in the desert, without any contact with civilization! Just great!" she explained still laughing and then climbed out of the car.

It could thus get worse! It might take hours until anyone crossed their way. And by that time, she would have probably killed Jane. She can already see the headlines in the newspaper: 'Senior Agent kills consultant because of car breakdown.' Actually, what she really felt like doing now was crying. But laughing was so much easier and less humiliating. Furious, she paced up and down in front of her car, throwing angry glances at Jane who, meanwhile, had also gotten out of the car. Then she stopped her pacing and wiped the sweat off her forehead. If she continued to sweat that much, her problem would soon have resolved itself, because she would already be melted by the sun then.

"There's a rest stop, about 2 miles from here." Jane mentioned, stopping her desperate brooding.

"How can you tell?" she asked somewhat more reproachfully, as she intended to be.

"There was a sign not too far back." he informed her and smiled at her encouragingly. She looked at him for a while and then nodded.

"Fine, we'll go there. There'll be a phone, "she said. Walking was still better than sitting around here, hoping for a car to come by.

The heat seemed to emanate from everywhere. From the ground, from the air, from the sun and her dark clothes and hair seemed to absorb all the heat. She already felt as if she was cooking from the inside out, her mouth was dry and so she dragged her weary body along the dusty roadside. She could not hold back an envious glance at Jane. Any normal person would suffer from the heat, but he seemed to radiate like the sun. His golden hair glistened in the bright light, his blue eyes sparkled and his mouth was curved into a satisfied grin. He wore only his white shirt; its sleeves rolled up and unbuttoned to the half. She risked a glance at his bare chest, after all she had never seen him 'revealing' this much, and she had to admit, she could melt from that one look... Yes, it was really hot here!

His grin widened as he noticed the fascinated stare she gave him and it got even wider as he watched her caught reaction. She stared at the floor embarrassedly, and if she wasn't already red from the heat, this would have been the moment in which she would have blushed.

"Why don't you at least open a button on your blouse?" he asked curiously.

"No, it's all right." she said and fumbled sheepishly at her blouse.

"Are you afraid I could see your sexy underwear?" he dug deeper and a mischievous grin crossed his face as she stared at him in horror.

"I do not wear sexy underwear!" she defended herself loudly.

"Why do you react so defending then?" he chuckled and looked at her with a crooked smile.

"How observant you are…" she said dryly. For a while he let her alone, however, the discussion wasn't finished for him yet. Unfortunately…

"You know, I've seen bras before. You really don't need to stay buttoned up for my sake." he said casually.

"Jane, just leave it!" she begged.

"Just saying. Usually you aren't so…prudish..? Why then, when you are almost melting in the sun?" he asked undeterred. She seemed close to stabbing him with her glare, but he challenged her gaze and so she finally gave up.

"Not like it's any of your business, but all my other bras are in the laundry. Normally I don't wear such… nice underwear for work. But I didn't have the time to do the laundry!" she shouted angrily and walked past him. Laughing happily, he ran after her.

"I've always thought that there was a small rebel in you!" he said, as he had already caught up with her.

"What's your point?" she asked exasperatedly and once again she wiped the perspiration from her forehead.

"Nothing…"

She was smart enough not to dig deeper. Maybe he'd leave her in peace for a few more minutes. She had the strange feeling that she needed to focus on staying upright more than his teasing anyway. The sun really did her no good. She was starting to feel dizzy and a subtle nausea took over her. She really didn't need to have a conversation about her underwear, especially not with Jane!

"Did you know that messy women make good lovers?" he asked after a few silent minutes.

Surprised, she stared up at him. Was he seriously thinking about whether she is good in bed? The sun seemed to have more influence on him than she originally thought. Or how should she understand his question? Did he now want to hear a confirmation of his theory? Or even a taste?

"What dirty thoughts just entered your head?" he asked and his guess was confirmed when she caught his eye.

"I didn't think of anything..." she murmured embarrassed.

She felt his playful smile still resting on her, but at least he was respectful enough not to continue talking about it. They walked on in silence. She had no idea how far they had gone already. It all looked the same, no matter where she let her gaze wander. And it was incredibly hot, so hot that she thought she couldn't see straight anymore. She saw bright spots dancing in front of her eyes, and she felt as if she were under a glass cover, muting all sounds, surrounded by hot air. Also the nausea increased more and more and she realized that she slowly lost her balance, orientation, and finally her view.

"Jane ..." she mumbled, as she tried to find him, so she wouldn't fall. But it was too late, everything went dark.

Tbc?


	2. Chapter 2

_WOW! You're amazing guys! I really didn't expect so much feedback! *free hugs for everyone*_

_And of course a special big hug for lysjelonken! Keep going on with your betaing, it's wonderful :D_

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When she awoke, she was still pretty dazed. Her head buzzed and she still felt sick. But she realized that she didn't feel quite so hot anymore. Slowly, she opened her eyes. At first everything was blurry, but then things started to take shape. The first things that appeared in her view were the branches of a withered tree, under whose shadow she lay. But the next thing she saw quickly made her forget all about the tree. Jane appeared in her view. Either he was sweaty, or he had found water somewhere, because there were small, glistening drops on his bare chest. Why wasn't he wearing his shirt anymore? And the upsetting part: Why did this sight leave her heart fluttering excitedly? Was she still dreaming?

"No, my dear, this isn't one of your dirty fantasies." He answered her thoughts and knelt beside her. The whole thing was so embarrassing.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" She murmured hurriedly and closed her eyes again, so she didn't have to face him. She was still feeling a bit dizzy, anyway.

Suddenly she felt something cool and wet on her forehead. Gasping she opened her eyes again.

"Calm down. I found an old well." He said with a smile. Now she realized what had happened to his shirt. He'd made it wet and put it on her forehead to cool her down.

She had to admit that it felt good. However, she didn't like that he was chaperoning her. It made her feel pathetic. Just a bit of sun and she passes out…

"Thank you. You didn't need to do that." she mumbled sheepishly and timidly looked up at him.

"Meh…I would have used your blouse, but I think you would have freaked out because of your sexy underwear." he joked, delighting in the blush that crept up her cheeks.

"It isn't sexy underwear!" she hissed and threw his wet shirt at his head.

"I just carried you across the desert and this is how you thank me?" He complained and turned away, feigning offence.

"I'm impressed! I didn't know you are so strong, Jane." She made fun of him. She lay back, leaning against the tree trunk.

"You seemed to have recovered from the heat. Now we better do something so you don't faint again." She didn't like his tone. She gave him a suspicious look and watched as he turned back to her with a boyish grin.

Suddenly he was dangerously close to her and he didn't seem to think that it was necessary to put his shirt back on. Didn't he know what this did to her? Her heart was beating crazily with no sign of slowing its pace.

He leant over her and began unbuttoning her blouse from the bottom up. She gasped in shock and slapped his hands away.

"Don't worry. I would never try to seduce you in such a blunt way. You were just unconscious, that would be too easy." He said with a smug grin.

"I didn't think you want to seduce me!" She denied and folded her arms over her chest.

"Oh, come on. How can you deny that this thought entered your head?"

"Shut up!" She only grumbled and his hands went back to the buttons of her blouse.

Spiteful, she decided she was going to prove she didn't care and remained seated, letting him continue without protest. But every time his fingers tingled on her skin, she hated her own stubbornness that she had allowed this to happen. When he reached her upper abdomen, he stopped unbuttoning and pulled unbuttoned cloth open. He tied the two ends of the blouse together and looked at his work. She suddenly felt incredibly naked and making her even more uncomfortable in front of him, although he was actually much more naked with no shirt on.

"Breathe, Lisbon." He said with a playful grin and she noticed for the first time she was holding a breath.

"We're almost done," he informed her.

"Almost? What else do you want to do?" She asked, almost panicked. This caused him to chuckle once again.

Now he turned to her sleeves. With a skilled grip he tore them apart. Lisbon stared at him in horror. He had just torn her blouse! He had ruined it! Furiously, she stood up, but she was still unsteady on her feet and stumbled. Before she could collapse on the ground again, she fell against Jane, who, predicting her unsteadiness, quickly shot up. Bare skin met bare skin and an electrifying rush shot through her body. They stayed that way maybe a second longer than necessary, before he gently helped her back to her feet and took a step back.

"You really should take better care of yourself. I can't carry you the whole way…" He tried to joke, flashing a crooked smile.

"Don't worry; I can take care of myself very well. And you had no right to rip my blouse!"

"I think this is the perfect solution. You are still as buttoned-up as before – so no one can see your underwear - and now you can get some air on your body." He said, looking her up and down.

Instead of bringing up how he kept going back to the subject of her underwear, she followed his gaze and noticed that she now wore a short-sleeved, midriff blouse. She hadn't worn a midriff top since her teenage days and she hadn't planned to do so again. Unfortunately, she had to admit that she a lot cooler now. So she just grumbled something unintelligible to herself and walked over to the well he mentioned before. Above it, there was a winch with a bucket attached and deep down inside you could hear water. She hoisted up a full bucket and emptied the cool liquid over her head. If she was going to prevent collapsing again, she was going to have to stay cool!

The pleasantly cold water made her heated body shiver, a welcome change. She closed her eyes for a moment and enjoyed the feeling of cold that dripping over her body. She had really needed this cooling... in more ways than one. When she opened her eyes again, she noticed that Jane was staring at her with a deep interest. This was her opportunity to get him back…

"Jane, I'm reluctant to wake you from your male fantasy, but we should really get walking." She said with a wink, and stalked past him.

"I don't know what you mean." He asserted, throwing his shirt over his right shoulder and hurried after her.

"You can't fool me! A scantily clad woman, water ... All that was missing was a car for me to wash." She said, grinning at him mischievously. He stared at her for a moment, surprised at her forwardness.

"Would you do that for me?" He countered her with wit and his eyes sparkled with boyish charm.

"Of course." She said matter–of-factly, making him stop, puzzled.

"Really?" He asked, suddenly excited.

"In your dreams, Jane." She said, walking away, laughing triumphantly. He looked after her with intrigue, before walking behind her.

As they continued to stroll on the hot asphalt, no one spoke. Every now and again, they exchanged glances, but Lisbon focused her eyes on the distance ahead, hoping that the stupid rest stop would appear in the horizon. But there was nothing but desert and the heated air flickered in front of their eyes. This could still be a long, exhausting journey.

Jane didn't seem to feel about it that way. He strolled comfortably beside her and began whistling some song. He was holding his still-dripping wet shirt over his right shoulder and she still felt like she was losing her mind when she looked at him!

"You'll get a sunburn." She said, glancing at him once more then quickly averting her eyes.

"Do I look so terrible that you can't bear the sight of my naked upper body?" He asked, giving her a teasing side glance.

"What? No, quite the opposite..." She started to explain, biting her tongue when she realized what she'd just said.

"No, I mean- ... I didn't say- ... I meant, you don't look that terrible..." She tried to save her sentence, but somehow the words didn't came out as orderly as they had been in her head. Jane laughed once again, loving how she was struggling.

"Ah, now I understand. You like what you see, and you're embarrassed... Well, I feel honored, Lisbon." He said, beaming from ear to ear. She cursed inwardly, angry at herself for even starting this conversation.

"Do whatever you want! I don't even care if you get a sunburn!" She told him, and quickening her pace.

"So you don't deny that you find me appealing?" He asked jogging behind her and began to laugh again as she growled in response and quickened her pace some more.

She wanted to find the rest stop right now. She wanted to call her team, so they'd pick her up and she'd finally be able to escape from this hell. It was hot, she had a headache and Jane was teasing her relentlessly and still whistling that annoying tune! She really did her best to ignore him, to avoid any new conversation, so he had no opportunity to embarrass her again. But he made it really hard to be ignored.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, she felt something tickling on her shoulder. She shook her arm annoyedly, thinking it was another trick from Jane. Then she saw just out of the angle of her eye, something greenish, giving a little hop and felt it land on her neck. With a loud shriek, she whirled around. She flew into Jane, who was disorientated at her shrieking, and even more disorientated by the way her nails were scraping against his bare back as she clung to him in a blind panic.

"Take it off!" she screamed at him.

"What? Lisbon, relax!" He tried to calm, using his most soothing hypnotism-voice, but it didn't stop her from her frantic hopping.

"On my neck!" She squeaked.

Worried he looked around the whole area around her neck and when he finally had found the cause of her screaming he had problems not to laugh out loud.

"The grasshopper?" He asked surprised.

"Yes! Take it off! Now!" She begged, restlessly shifting from one foot to the other.

"Alright, just hold on for a second" He gently told her, but she wouldn't stop bouncing in panic.

"Just take this thing off of my neck!" She yelled again.

"Lisbon, the thing, as you call it, has become entangled in your hair and if you don't stop moving, I can't take it off. So calm down." He told her slowly. She stopped bouncing but clung onto him tighter.

Grinning, he began to free the insect from her hair. He gently pulled it out and threw it away from Lisbon, who still had her arms wrapped around him. He still felt her heartbeat banging hard against his chest and she didn't loosen her grip, although the grasshopper was long gone now.

"Alright, I took it out."

"Thanks," she replied relieved, but instead of releasing him, she leaned further into their embrace.

Still smiling and somewhat confused, he twined his arms around her. After her frantic shock, it felt really incredibly good to be surrounded by his arms, and so a slight smile crossed her lips. And even though it was so hot, she didn't want to escape from that heat. This burning feeling felt too good…

"So you're afraid of grasshoppers?" He asked, slightly surprised. But even through the surprise, she could clearly hear suppressed laughter in his voice.

"I'm not afraid." She denied stubbornly. Somehow, those words pulled her back into reality and she let him go from her vice-like grip around his shoulders. She turned away embarrassedly.

"Yes, you are!" He replied teasingly.

"No, I'm not… It's just… they are ... just disgusting!" she claimed not very convincingly and avoided his gaze. Instead she started to draw circles in the dust with her toes.

"You screamed like a little school girl and ran into my strong, protective arms. You were clearly scared." He told her giggling amusedly.

"That's not true!" She continues defiantly. They were behaving like two little kids, but she didn't care. She would never admit that she was afraid.

"You know, it's kind of cute that you try to cover up the obvious." He said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Why don't you just leave me alone?" She turned and kept walking forward. By the way they were stopping to argue every few feet, they were never going to reach that rest stop!

"Hey! I saved you from the big scary grasshopper; I'm your hero! I think I deserve a reward. We could get back to your suggestion about the carwash…" he said suggestively, quickening his pace so he was walking at her side once again.

"Forget it, Jane."

"Well, I can also tell the whole team that our Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon, who relentlessly chase down killers three times her size, screams like a little girl when she sees a small, tiny little grasshopper..." He replied with a smile on his lips.

"You wouldn't do that!" She said, stopping abruptly and crossing her arms.

"Dare to find out?" He gave her a smile before turning on his heel and walking off, whistling as he goes.

Tbc

_So, what did you think? Was it worth it to be continued? Why don't you press this little button and tell me ;)_


	3. Chapter 3

_I'm so sorry! Shame on me for letting you wait so long for a new chapter! I hope this update is worth the long waiting time...I'm so excited about all your sweet encouraging reviews! You guys are great!_

_And as usual I must thank my lovely beta reader lysjelonken :D_

_By the way: I finally found out of what my story title reminds me: Castle. He has this novel Heat Wave...I really didn't do that on purpose_

_So just to make sure; Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or the story title Heat Wave either! And of course I don't own The Mentalist!_

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She really tried to simply ignore him for the rest of the journey. This time, really. But Jane wouldn't be Jane if he hadn't done anything to break her silence. He was just too good at infuriating her! And she still had a headache and it was still hot, even though the sun wasn't so high anymore.

This time she was determined not to give in; he had strained her nerves too long. It would be better for both of them if she just kept her mouth shut. So she marched sullenly on the dusty roadside and tried to pay him no attention.

"Lisbon?"

No answer…

"Hey, Lisbon?

Still nothing…

"Lisbon? Lisbon!"

His voice got grouchier each time he spoke. Like a small child, he begged for her attention. And in addition he nudged her upper arm with one finger every time he said her name.

It took all of her self-restrain just to walk in silence and pretend that he didn't exist. In her mind she fled to a better place. The sea. A gentle breeze blew through her hair; she was surrounded by rolling waves, sand between her toes. Peace, a lonely beach ...

"Lisbon?" Jane's loud whining voice interrupted, even in her imagination. It was really impossible to ignore this man!

"Do you really think just because you ignore me, I'll stop talking?" He asked defiantly. But he still got no answer, not even a glance.

"Well, I can also start a long monologue, and explore your fear of grasshoppers. I think that the phobia is due to your childhood. Did one of your brothers put a grasshopper under your dress once? Or did your Daddy once save you from an evil grasshopper that got into your room, and did little Teresa think the poor little creature was a monster? Maybe someone made you eat a one? ... You know, in some cultures it is normal to eat insects. They are roasted over the fire; apparenty, they taste like chicken, but I personally wouldn't want to eat them anyway. There's this crackling noise when you break the carapace with your teeth. Think about eating this whole animal with all inwards ...just imagine, you're eating insect feces, cause it's is still in the gut ..." he chattered on incessantly to himself, until she couldn't take anymore. She felt like she would suffocate if he wouldn't shut up!

"Dammit Jane! What do you want?" She shouted and her voice rang out on the pampas.

"Nothing. I'm just bored…" He said shrugging, an innocent smile placed on his lips.

"So what?"

"Let's play a game" he suggested with a boyish grin.

"No." she declined immediately.

"I spy with my little eye something that is…brown." He began, without regard to her objection.

"How about the mud I'll make you eat if you don't stop right now?" She growled contemptuously, and gave him a sharp side glance.

"Not so friendly, sunshine?" He said, slightly offended, and stalked past her.

Oh great, now he's pouting! If he is so sensitive, then maybe he shouldn't provoke her until she explodes! He can't seriously expect her to be friendly after being that annoying! Jane was acting like a little boy. But at least he was finally quiet. Maybe she should offend him more often…

He treated her with no respect, so why should she now have a guilty conscience?

After a while, he looks over at her. "You're still angry about the whole grasshopper thing…"

"No, I'm not angry!" she claimed irritated, and once again, he smiled at her reaction.

"Oh yes, you are clearly angry." he laughed.

"I don't want to talk about it, so please just leave it alone." She said. She didn't want to beg, but the way she was feeling right now, she was pretty close.

"Do you really think I would expose you like that in front of the team?" He asked with a gentle smile.

"Yes, of course." She answered.

Jane stopped on the spot, dumbfounded, and grabbed her shoulders so that she would stop as well.

"You wound me. Do you still have so little trust in me that you think I would do such a thing to you?" He asked and he seemed genuinely taken aback.

Now she was just getting annoyed. This man was so infuriating! Did he not realize how contradicting his words and his actions were?

"Jane, you always talk about trust, but then you make a fool out of me the next moment! How do you expect me to trust you when you act like that? Besides, you don't trust me either."

"Deja Vu! This is the exact same conversation we have had before! I trust you. Fully and completely! And I want you to trust me too. You can trust me, Lisbon. No matter what, I'll be there for you. Is that clear now?" He was still holding her shoulders, forcing her to keep eye contact as he spoke. She nodded silently in reply, so he smiled and let her go so they could walk on.

She never thought that her trust was this important to him. The light-hearted façade he kept up day and night hid every trace uncertainty he could have.

As they walked on, she once again started giving him quick, careful side glances. She couldn't keep her attention from returning to him (possibly because he was still parading around half-naked.) She hoped that he didn't notice her constant stares; but honestly, being as tired and dehydrated as she was, she probably wasn't as subtle as she thought.

"I think we should repeat the trust fall." He said suddenly, turning to her with a wide grin. "Apparently one wasn't sufficient."

"What?" She asked surprised. She had been too busy staring at him to hear him speak.

"You know how it goes: You let yourself fall and I catch you." He said.

"No, we're not doing that. It's a waste of time! We need to get to that rest stop as in yesterday!" She refused and crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.

"As if you weren't longing to fall into my arms…" He said rising an eyebrow in challenge.

She snorted in reply (hiding the fact that he was pretty much right...)

"It was just a joke. Come on, Lisbon. Only to seal our new-found trust!" He smiled charmingly. He was being really persuasive, but she gave him a skeptical look.

"Are you going to keep annoying me until I do the trust fall..? Again?" She questioned.

"Quite right." He grinned mischievously.

"Fine, if it'll make you shut up, then..." she groaned and turned around.

She felt the familiar tingle in her belly, reminding her of the first time she let herself fall. Of course he would catch her but the thought just made her nervous. And of course he was right. She loved being in his arms, more than she cared to admit… And those feelings are definitely not appropriate to feel for your pain-in-the-ass consultant!

"Come on…" He ushers her. Even without seeing him, she could tell that he was grinning from ear to ear and she suppressed a groan.

Instead, she sighed in surrender, closed her eyes and fell backwards. Her heart began to flutter like crazy as soon as she felt his strong arms against her, keeping her from falling. When she opened her eyes again, she was looking directly into the beaming face of Jane and she couldn't help a grin creeping upon her own face. But before she could get lost in the deep blue of his eyes, he lifted her back up and helped her back to her feet.

"Well?" He said, looking at her expectantly.

"Wow, it worked! Suddenly I have blind trust in you! Again." She said sarcastically and gave him a teasing smile before starting to walk again.

As they walked down the long road, she noticed Jane's eyes darting over to her mischievously. He was up to something else already, something she wasn't going to like… But for now he was still walking silently beside her, throwing furtive glances, but looking completely innocent otherwise.

She was getting nervous… Couldn't he just leave her in peace for a moment? Maybe in other circumstances she might have more patience, but right now his behavior was downright infuriating! She threw in an impatient look which he replied with a playful grin.

"Jane, what do you want now?" She asked tiredly, as it didn't look like he was going to start speaking on his own any time soon.

"Nice of you to ask..." He said casually and dug something out of his pocket. She looked up at him confused, as that something turned out as one of the sleeves of her blouse.

"Why did you keep a sleeve of my shirt?" She asked and began to eye him suspiciously.

"I thought that I could find some more uses for it." He replied with a (flirtatious?) grin and winked at her.

That was more than disturbing. What the hell did he want to do with that rag? Tie her up to the nearest tree and perform an Indian dance around her? She actually could see him doing that...

"No, I wasn't thinking about bondage games. But it's really fascinating how your mind works." He once again seemed to read her thoughts and make her blush.

"This is ridiculous, as if I would think of something like that!" She defended herself, acting insulted.

"Whatever you say..." He said, still knowingly grinning. Then he walked up behind her and put the strip of cloth over her eyes.

"Jane, what are you doing?" She shouted, hands flying to her eyes to try and get the blindfold off.

"Stop, not so fast! You have said yourself that now you have blind trust in me. So I thought we could test that little theory." He countered, tying the ends of the cloth tightly behind her head.

"Jane, please! Let's just keep going!" Okay, so now she was clearly begging. No matter what she had said before, she wasn't above begging anymore.

"We are going to keep going. But I'm going to lead you…" He whispered close to her ear, making her heart leapt. She hadn't expected him to be so close… So very, very, very close…

"Jane, please don't do anything stupid!" She warned him and brought her hands to the fabric around her eyes.

"My dear, what terrible thing could possibly happen to you here? We're stranded on an empty road surrounded by barren landscape without a single obstacle you could bump into! Besides, I'm guiding you. And I wouldn't do anything to harm you…" He explained calmly, taking her hands in his, before she could take off the blindfold.

"That's exactly what's worrying me! God knows where you're going to lead me!" She complained.

The slight pressure that his hands put on hers, made her heart beat wildly and she was pretty sure he could feel her pulse racing very well. She felt a slight pull and reluctantly gave in.

She hated this – the complete darkness made her feel incredibly weak and vulnerable. And she definitely didn't want to feel this way in front of Jane!

"Lisbon, just relax. Give up control and find out how good it can feel to be guided." He said to her, his voice gentle. She heard a slight laugh in his voice; if she wasn't feeling so insecure, she would have immediately yelled at him.

"Yes, very good ..." She only said in a dry voice, but still let him guide her.

So she walked on in darkness and the longer she did, the more she relinquished control. Her resistance was weakening, and finally, he was guiding her along the road without her resisting. She had to admit that she liked the feeling of having him guide her – his strong hands in hers. She would never admit it, but she knew he was right. It may be good for her to give up control sometimes. But just as she got to this realization, he let go of her and took away the security.

"Jane?" She asked, grasping through the darkness, searching for the stability.

"Jane, this is not funny! Where are you?" She complained, and took a few uncertain steps.

Suddenly, she bumped into something. It was warm and soft. A body. She let her fingers slide slowly over the surface. The first thing she groped had to be the stomach. She let her fingers wander further and came to his chest, then shoulders. Gradually a picture of him formed in her mind's eye, and she felt the urge to continue to explore him. Her hands found their way to his face. With a thumb, she softly drove the shape of his lips, he was smiling. His cheeks felt slightly scratchy, his stubble tickled her palms. Her fingers finally dove into his curly hair. Now she could see Jane clearly in front of her - she had the complete image in her mind.

"And? How do I feel like?" He asked curiously.

"Unbelievable ..." she mumbled, lost in thoughts. She was overwhelmed – she's heard that your other senses are heightened when one is taken away, but this amazed her.

"I didn't know I had such an intoxicating effect on you." He replied in a soft, amused tone, and with horror she realized what she had just said. Quickly she moved her hands back and crossed her arms protectively in front of her chest.

"I didn't mean ... it wasn't what you think…" She stammered, embarrassedly.

"And what is it you think I think?" He wanted to know. She could imagine exactly how he stood, with one of his big smiles on his face and a piercing gaze.

"Never mind…" She grumbled, embarrassed and ashamed.

Then there was silence for a while, but she could still feel his eyes resting on her.

"Teresa? I spy with my little eye…" Came his calm, soothing voice, perilously close to her ear. She felt the warmth of his body radiate and she had to restrain herself not to stretch out a hand and touch him again.

"Yeah, that's very funny Jane! Especially because I can't see anything!" she hissed.

"Then take off the blindfold!" He laughed and she angrily tore the fabric off of her eyes.

The bright glare of the sun blinded her and she squinted uncomfortably.

"Geez, I really made you lose your head!" He smiles, making fun of her.

"Would you shut up?" She yelled. But when she finally was able to see properly again, she was surprised to discover that they had finally arrived at the rest stop.

Tbc


	4. Chapter 4

_Once again I must apologize for my update delay! I hope you have fun with this chapter! And thank you so much for your lovely reviews! *grin*_

_I must confess I stole the "Bennie and the Jets" thing from 27 dresses, but I just wanted something freakish in this chapter ;) So I hope you don't mind!_

_And thanks lysjelonken, you did a great job! (but you know that, don't you?)_

_Disclaimer: I don't own The Mentalist nor the Song Bennie and the Jets..._

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The first thing Lisbon did was call the office to explain their situation. She couldn't believe that such an old-fashioned pay phone still existed. The phone booth stood out in front of a small diner, which Jane had entered and she now followed. She finally found him sitting at the bar and was relieved that he had put his shirt back on. But as she took a closer look, she noticed that it was still unbuttoned...

And the feeling of his abdominal muscles and bare chest under her fingertips was still fresh in her mind…

She wasn't even going to get started about his perfectly curved lips and that stunning hair. Who knew where such thoughts would lead? Definitely not to any appropriate situation between a Boss and her consultant...

"Lisbon?" Jane asked when he saw her a few steps away, wearing a dreamy expression.

"What?" She asked and blinked a few times. Jane grinned brightly at her again. How she hated that smile!

"I wonder what just went through your head…" He asked; slightly ironic, since his expression seemed to say that he could read her mind. Right now, she wished she could punch that grin right off his face. "Oh dear, Lisbon, I didn't think of you as _that_ type! Well, I'm sorry, dear, but SM is not really my kind of thing. You're just going to have to live out your violent impulses to someone else…" he said, chuckling mockingly. She just sat down beside him, groaning frustratedly.

"That's hard to believe, as much as you enjoy torturing me…" She growled sarcastically.

"You know it's really not my intention to torture you? You do that to yourself." He told her, earning a hit on his upper arm. Self-satisfied jerk!

"Do you feel better now?" He asked, rubbing his arm with a pout.

"Much." She grinned satisfied.

"Always at your service, mistress." He said, grinning brightly, and bit into the hamburger that he had ordered.

"Want some?" He mumbled while still chewing, holding the burger out towards her. She wrinkled her nose in disgust and shook her head.

"But you _should_ drink something." He insisted, giving her a bottle of water that he ordered for her while she had talking on the payphone.

She accepted it thankfully and took a big gulp. She was really incredibly thirsty.

It would take at least another two hours until they were picked up and by then – whether she liked it or not - she had to pass the time with Jane. If she survived this day, the first thing she would need would be a holiday to recover from this whole thing!

You couldn't blame her. It was a feat to survive a day alone with Jane without doing permanent damage. At least he was eating right now and she had a few minutes in peace. She was exhausted; her legs felt heavy and she still had the terrible headache from before. All she wanted right now was to go home, take a cold shower and then go to bed. It was 7.00 pm already and the sun was still stubbornly illuminated the earth.

She looked around at the small diner. It looked surprisingly comfy for a rest stop pub and she was amazed at how many people were here. Granted, most were truck drivers who were probably looking for a place to stay, or people who were passing through and taking a break. And then there were the two of them.

After 15 minutes of enjoying Jane's complete silence, she cursed at an unidentified icy sensation shocking her arm.

"Jane, what are you doing?" She shouted, jumping slightly; she brushed over her arm and felt that it was now wet.

"I thought you could use a cool-down." He replied innocently and held up an ice cube.

"Where did you get that from?" She asked suspiciously, looking around the diner for any signs of disturbance.

"I didn't steal it if that's what you're suggesting; and even if I had stolen it, it's just frozen water, who is going to miss it?" He laughed incredulously.

"For you it might only be frozen water, but for me it proves once again that you know no boundaries or respect for other people's possessions. Jane, you work for the police, you have to stop behaving like that." She hissed, irritated.

"Square and uptight?" He asked teasingly.

"So I'm square and uptight just because I believe that it is important to follow the rules? Because I believe that we must punish people who violate the rules? Because I think with no rules, without a guide, no society would be possible? Sometimes you are such a jerk, Jane!" She argued, turning away from him with a hurt expression.

"I didn't say that! Teresa…" He turned her face so that she was looking him in the eye. "You are a good-hearted person and if more people were like you, the world would be a better place. I admire you, Lisbon. Really." He apologized. His eyes shone with truth, but she wasn't going to forgive him just yet.

"But still: isn't it sometimes appealing to loosen up a bit? Just to indulge in something?" He whispered. Suddenly he was very close to her ear. She felt his breath on her skin and a shiver crept down her spine.

Only a few seconds later she realized it wasn't just his presence that let her shiver. He had once again placed the ice cube on her skin and was brushing it slowly along her arm. She got goose bumps and that not only because of the ice on her skin. It was the way he was sliding the icy cold over her skin; so gentle and carefully, as if she might break at the slightest application of force. She was paralyzed, unable to resist; she tried to breathe, but had apparently forgotten how to. He had robbed her mind; her heartbeat sped up and the only thought that crossed her mind was that she didn't want to him to stop….

How did he always manage to throw her completely off track? With something as simple as an ice cube?

Meanwhile, he had moved to her shoulder and had gently turned her so that she was now facing him completely. He smiled; this wasn't one of his fitted, arrogant grins. It was a simple, easy smile. The smile suited him so beautifully and the only thing she could manage was to stare. The argument long forgotten.

He put away the ice cube and reached a hand out to her. With a smooth movement, he stroked a strand of hair that had come loose from her ponytail behind her ear; brushing his cool finger over her flushed cheek.

Then suddenly it was over. As quickly as he was there, he was gone. And slowly, she was coming back to her senses…

"And? Wasn't it easy to just indulge in the cool feeling?" He asked her, his mouth twitching into a mischievous grin again.

"Oh yes. One of the greatest experiences of my life." She countered, her voice dripping with sarcasm, hoping that he couldn't hear the hint of truth behind her statement.

"Do I have to remind you that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit?" He noted smugly, raising an eyebrow.

"You would know…" She muttered, shaking her head as she lay her head down on the counter.

"You really _did _like it, didn't you?" He grinned, as he had watched her closely.

"No! And now please, Jane, could you for once just leave me alone?" She begged him.

"OK." He said simply, turning away and facing the bar in front of him.

For a moment she was dumbfounded, staring at him suspiciously, but then decided that the fight wasn't worth it in her current exhausted state. She plopped her head down, embedding it into her folded arms. The headache was pounding against her head and right now she really didn't feel good.

Soft music that was coming from the jukebox in the corner was already too loud, not to mention the buzzing murmur of the other guests. It was enough to get her head exploding, even without the arguing with Jane.

Said consultant, meanwhile, had begun to build a house of cards with the table mats. It was fascinating how much concentration he could put into such trivial things. It almost seemed as if everything around him would cease to exist, while patiently he stacked one table mat onto another.

He had already brought a considerable house into existence, when a smile crept over her lips at the thought of how childish he was sometimes. She sat up again; not a good decision. She groaned at the stabbing pain that shot through her head. At her groan, he immediately re-emerged from his dream world and shot her a worried look.

"You still have a headache?" He asked, but it seemed more of a statement than anything else.

"Uh-huh."

"Let me help you." He said, his hands suddenly holding her face.

"Jane, there is really no need…" She said, tension in her voice, but he didn't let go of her.

"Oh yes, you have an urgent need." He insisted, grinning.

"I said _there _is no need, not _I _have no need." She protested.

"What's the difference?" He dismissed her objection and put his hands on her face again.

"God, it's just a waste of time to argue with you... What are you trying to do anyway? Scare the headache away with you magical mind-powers?" She scoffed. On the inside, she was more nervous than ever.

"You'll be surprised. I have magic hands." He stated and a broad grin appeared on his face, making her fear the worst…

And then his magic began to take effect. In cyclic movements he massaged her temples; the perfect amount of pressure and the perfect tempo. She felt herself relax and how her headache melted away with each gentle cycle. His hands crept down to her neck, working their magic there, chasing away the pain and tension that lay there. She felt her resolve crumble; she couldn't fight it any more. He was so close that she just couldn't resist anymore.

She closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder as his hands continued to apply gentle, delicious pressure. She was expecting him to say something teasing, but he surprised her by staying silent. In that moment, all his attention was focused on making her feel better.

"Aw, I wish I had such an attentive boyfriend…" She heard a high-pitched female voice beside them. Her head snapped up and she saw the waitress standing behind the counter, admiring Jane.

"Oh no, he isn't my boyfriend." She immediately clarified, making Jane grin teasingly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I would love to have such a husband." The waitress said, correcting herself, as her eyes fell on the golden band that was still on Jane's finger.

"No, you don't understand. He's not my husband or my boyfriend. He's just a consultant." She explained.

"Yes, I'm her consultant." Jane said, glancing at her meaningfully, making the waitress look back at them with a confused expression as she walked away.

"He is not _my _consultant. He is the consultant of my_ team._" Lisbon called after her.

"That's what I said." Jane said, smiling innocently.

"No, you did make it sound as if it were something forbidden!" She scolded.

"Oh, Lisbon, you're only hearing what you want to hear." He said teasingly again.

"You are impossible!" She growled and pushed him away from her. He bumped into his house of table mats and it fell to the ground.

"Lisbon, look what you have done now!" He pouted as he gathered the table mats together.

"Oh...I'm so-o sorry." She replied and her words were practically dripping with sarcasm and mock sympathy, but she couldn't hold back her grin.

"You know, I think you were less mean when you still had the headache." He said, turning back to the table mats, that adorable pout still on his face.

She was starting to feel guilty; he seemed to actually be upset. Was it just another game to tease her?

She hated his little games, mainly because she was the victim to them most of the time. And she could never stop herself from falling for them.

You know what, if he wanted to pout, let him! She was just fine without him commenting on her every move.

And so they sat there, side by side, staring straight ahead in complete silently. She knew he could be just as stubborn as she was. But patience had never been his strong point, and the ability to stay still even less. Occasionally, she allowed herself to glance at him and she could swear that every time she did, the corners of his mouth would twitch up a little. Or was she just seeing things?

In an effort to distract herself, she focused her attention on the sounds in the diner. She heard snippets of the other people in the diner's conversations: "The guy at the bar is so sweet!" in the waitress' squeaky voice made its way to her ears. She couldn't hold back a contemptuous snort.

Oh Jane, ever the woman magnet. Worst of all, she felt herself succumbing to the magnetic pull more and more every day!

Alright, so listening in to conversations isn't working out… Plan B! She turned her attention to the music streaming from the old jukebox.

Immediately she recognized the melody.

"Cool song." She heard Jane say softly, and he started humming along.

"I love this song." She confirmed, grinning.

All the pouting-tension was suddenly gone and things were back to normal – well as normal as things could be when you're with Jane.

_"Say Candy and Ronnie have you seen them yet. But oh, they're so spaced out!_" Jane sang along.

"Those aren't the lyrics!" Lisbon laughed and shook her head in amusement.

"Oh, and what are they then… Lyric police?" He asks, still rocking his head to the beat of the music.

"_She's got electric boots, a mohair suit. You know I've read it in a magazine. Oh, ohhh ..._" She started singing along.

"_BBB-Bennie and the Jets!"_Jane suddenly shouted, what caused the attention of the whole diner.

"This should be it…" Rigsby said as he drove into the rest stop.

"I hope they're okay… Getting stuck in this heat…" Van Pelt said, a worried expression on her face.

They got out of the car and headed into the old diner. As they entered, they had to do a double-take.

The entire diner was singing loudly to "_Bennie and the Jets_"; lead by Jane and Lisbon, sitting on the counter while conducting the out-of-tune choir.

They didn't seem to notice them standing by the door. Rigsby was about to walk towards them, but Van Pelt held him back.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"Don't interrupt! They seem to be having fun!" She said, smiling.

"Then what should we do?" He asked, his eyes not leaving the strange scene before him.

"Let's just wait until the song is over." She suggested.

"Grace, you are just too good to be true sometimes…" He said. Of course, he couldn't refuse her anything.

Lisbon had no idea how they ended up in this situation.

But it was incredible. The entire diner was singing along to "_Bennie and the Jets_"; the most out-of-tune and badly timed version she's ever heard. But, like it or not, she was having more fun than she had in a long, long time.

As the song came to an end and Jane jumped off of the counter where they sat. He grinned up at her and opened his arms; was she supposed to jump into them? She never thought she'd ever do something as ridiculous, but this entire situation was so crazy that her perception of normal seemed to be broken. She returned his smile with a grin of her own, and hopped right into his arms. He twirled her around like a little girl, before placing her gently back on the ground. The entire diner broke out into spontaneous applause, but she didn't notice; she was being sucked into the whirlpools of blue that were his eyes.

She didn't even notice that they were still clinging to each other like they were each other's last lifeline, when Rigsby and Van Pelt made their way to them through the crowd.

She was intoxicated; completely under his spell. If she could stay like this forever, she would in a heartbeat.

But a discreet couch brought her back to reality.

"Uh, Boss..what's up?" Van Pelt asked, looking around to the diner to avoid Lisbon's gaze.

"Nothing ... I'm just ... glad you are finally here." Lisbon said, stepping out of Jane's embrace and bringing her voice back to its in-charge cadence.

"Uh, nice outfits." Rigsby said, his goofy smile appearing as he looked them up and down.

"Don't even start! Jane tore my blouse." She hissed, giving Jane an angry glance.

"You get stuck in the desert and you start undressing each other?" Rigsby joked, making the already blushing Lisbon turn an even brighter shade of red. Van Pelt gave him a reproachful glance.

"Now see, there was the problem. Lisbon wouldn't let me undress her, because she has this underw-…"Jane began to report.

"Jane shut up! Let's go now!" Lisbon interrupted in an angry tone, before trudging to the car. Jane followed her, smiling amusedly.

Rigsby and Van Pelt exchanged confused looks before they followed the two. Lisbon was exceptionally fond of the back seat she wasn't surprised when Jane took the seat beside her.

The ride was mostly silent and she could feel her eyelids become heavy and her body become lame. Today was a really hard day; she surely had an excuse to take a short nap? It might not be the most professional thing to do, fall asleep in the backseat while your team drove you home, but right now her mind was too tired to think about professional courtesy. Besides, they could wake her when they were back in Sacramento.

Finally she succumbed to the fatigue. In her sleepy state, she didn't know that she was resting her head on Jane's shoulder and cuddling herself into his heat.

Somewhere along the line, her hand managed to land on his chest and her legs tucked under her so that she was curled up against him. Maybe if he were awake, he'd make fun of her, or at least take a picture for future blackmail purposes. But he had also fallen into a deep sleep.

Maybe it was the exhaustion of getting stuck in the middle of nowhere, in the scalding heat of the desert that made him fall asleep… But that was in no way the cause for letting his head fall on hers so that she was lying peacefully in the crook of his neck, and definitely not the peaceful smile that spread over his face.

"Hey Rigsby…" Van Pelt whispered. "Look at that…"

"Should we wake them?" He asked quietly, glancing at them in the driving mirror.

"No, no… They need the rest. Besides, they look so peaceful." Van Pelt smiled gently and an almost identical grin appeared on Rigsby's face.

"Yeah, you're right. To see those two so peaceful is a very rare sight." He said.

Tbc

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_So that's it, I hope you liked it. If so, why don't you tell me? Maybe it helps and I'll update sooner next time ;)_

_Now I have to tell you there will be only one more chapter!..._


	5. Chapter 5

_Oh God! I can't express how sorry I am! A whole month has passed without an update! Do you even remember what the story is about? xD_

_I hope you like the end. I didn't want to do a cheesy romantic ending. It should be more like a next step to something serious..._

_Maybe I'll write a sequel. It doesn't exist one in German, so I'll have to invent it first...so I'm not sure about it yet. It depends on your opinions :D_

_And thank you sooo much for your reviews. My first longer story here and so many compliments, that's just amazing! And of course I have to thank lysjelonken, without her you surely wouldn't want to read my stories..._

_Disclaimer: Sadly nothing is mine..._

_

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It seems Jane has made an effort not to get on her nerves today… She appreciated it and didn't argue, just in case he'd snap out of it. After yesterday she could use a few hours free of his non-stop teasing. And the paperwork which had piled up also got done much faster without the distraction of Jane lurking in her doorway.

The day was surprisingly relaxing.

There was only one single form left in the 'IN'-tray… Just one more form and she could call it a day. She could even catch the last few rays of sun today – she can't remember when she last left work before dark.

It was too nice a day to waste it inside. Something strange inside of her kind of longed to go back to that endless expanse of desert. Even Jane wasn't as intolerable as she made him out to be. He wasn't exactly hard to look at… And it felt really good when-… WHAT WAS SHE DOING? She _had_ to stop thinking about him like this!

Jane was the pain in the ass consultant that she was forced to drag around behind her at crime scenes – nothing more! How did this guy manage to distract her without even being present? Somehow, he just managed to sneak into her head when she wasn't thinking, but he'd never get to know that! She could already see his smug grinning face if he'd find out that she was dreaming about him instead of working. He'd never let it go.

"What are you doing?" Jane asked, popping into the doorway. Lisbon jumped a little in alarm. Did he just _smell_ that she was thinking of him? How does he do it?

"Nothing, I just have to fill out this form," she answered hastily, waving the sheet around in the air before she busily going in search of her pen.

"Have I interrupted you?" He asked, grinning at her.

"No, why do you ask?" She asked casually, and then started looking in the drawers for her pen.

"Just wondering. By the way, the pen is in front of you." He pointed out with a smirk, pointing to her desk where the pen was lying clear as day right in front of her.

Embarrassing. Hopefully he didn't think (or realize) that her temporary blindness was because of his presence. How didn't she see the pen? It was like right under her nose!

"Thanks," she muttered somehow sheepishly and began to write.

"You're welcome," He said. She didn't even bother looking into his grinning face and instead continued filling out the form.

Only once did she glance up from her work, noticed that he was still standing in her doorway watching her and rocking back and forth on his heels. She raised an eyebrow and looked at him expectedly, but instead of talking he just smiled and she turned back to the form.

How typical… Couldn't he, just for once, tell her what he wanted without her having to pry it out of him?

She put that last form in the 'OUT'-tray and threw Jane a questioning look. He was still leaning against the door frame looking at everything in her office with most interest, except her.

"Jane, I really want to get out of here. Just tell me what you want." She said, exasperately.

"I was wondering ... nah, is not as important." He said, shaking his head and turning to leave.

"Jane! Spit it out!"

He grinned broadly and strolled back into her office, sitting down on the opposite chair.

"Did you know that Rigsby and Van Pelt have seen us?" He asked.

"Jane, I'm not sure if you knew, but I think that everyone can see us. We are not invisible." She said slowly, as if speaking to a child.

He didn't appeared bothered by her tone.

"Very funny... no, I mean yesterday on the bar counter." He said. Horrified, she stared from him to her team, whom she could see through the half-open blinds of her office.

"Please tell me you're kidding…" She laughed nervously.

"Nope," he answered, clearly amused by her horror.

"Thank you Jane. At least now I know that the authority I've worked years to build up has disintegrated within a two-minute song!" She snapped at him and threw her pen in his direction. Jane ducked and the pen just nearly flew past his head.

"You wound me, Teresa! After all, I didn't force you to sing with me on the counter." He defended.

"Oh please, don't act so innocent! Why didn't they say anything?" She asked glancing nervously through the blinds once more.

"Oh, I bet Rigsby really wanted to say something about it, but our good Grace defended you. Lisbon, believe me, they respect you all the same. The only thing that changed, if anything, is that your likability might have shifted a little in the right direction. They're not as intimidated by your apparent flawless vigor. They see you are, in fact, an imperfect person, and not a robot." Jane said calmly, smiling as he does. Strangely, his words have a calming effect on her. He always seems to stop her from freaking out… Well, enough times.

But to be fair, half of the time he is also the cause of her rage…

She let out a tired sigh and fell back in her seat. She flashed him a grateful smile and he grinned charmingly as reply. There was a strange pause that she couldn't really define and she wondered why he was still sitting in the chair, as if waiting for something. Wasn't that all he wanted? To feast on her horrified expression when he told her?

Well he got that… So why was he still here?

His eyes began to dart around her office once again, twirling her pen between his fingers. Every now and again his eyes would reach her and she would recognize that twinkle in his eyes as if he was already up to something new.

"Is there something else?" She asked.

"Would you have dinner with me today?" He asked bluntly, grinning at her.

"W-Wha-? Dinner?" It was as if the words were foreign to her. Whatever she expected him to ask, it certainly wasn't that.

"Well, I just thought... You have to eat in order not to starve, and all. And it's just that much more fun with company. So I thought… maybe we could fight starvation together sometime. Like tonight..." He said. She's never heard his voice sound like this before – nervous and embarrassed. He was now fiddling – _fiddling!_ – with the pen between his fingers and he avoided eye contact the entire time.

Hold on a second, could it be...

"Is this a date?" She asked and looked at him puzzled.

"Maybe…" He said, his eyes meeting hers once again as his self-confidence recovered and his usual grin lit up his face.

"A maybe-date with Patrick Jane, then." She repeated, grinning.

"Is that a yes?" He asked expectantly.

"It's a maybe." She replied, grinning mischievously.

"That's perfectly fine with me. Come on, let's go." He said, offering his hand to help her up.

"Wait, we can't go right now..." She began to protest.

"Why not? You're done with everything. Let's call it a day. It is too beautiful to waste time in the office." He interrupted again. She just had to smile – weren't those her exact thoughts just a minute ago? And he said he wasn't psychic…

"Alright, but just let me tell the team they can go." She said, walking to the bullpen.

Jane followed her and stood beside her, beaming with joy. Sometimes she really felt working with Jane was like working with a little boy. Oh God, what if he couldn't shut his mouth about their dinner? She probably should have forbid him earlier, but it was too late now… Crap. The rest of her team was looking up from their work with a questioning look, waiting for her or Jane to start speaking.

"You guys can go ahead and call it a day. It's so beautiful out and the paperwork won't vanish before tomorrow…" She announced and the faces of her employees brightened up immediately, even if she could detect some confusion in it.

"Why? Do you have other plans?" Cho said dryly and tucked his book into a desk drawer.

"Maybe," Jane and Lisbon chorused and Jane watched amusedly as Lisbon's cheeks flushed bright red in reaction.

"Well, you heard what the boss said. See you guys tomorrow!" Jane took leave grinning brightly. He let Lisbon go out the door first and followed her hot on her heels.

Lisbon was aware that they were followed by the curious eyes of the team and that they were likely wondering where they were going together, but honestly, she didn't really care. After all, it was a private matter and what she did in her spare time was none of their business.

Besides, it was just dinner. The world wouldn't end because of dinner… And how serious is anything concerning Jane anyway?

"Where do you think they're going?" Rigsby wondered.

"Who says they're going somewhere together?" Cho questioned.

"Please, Cho! It's obvious. You should have seen them in the back seat yesterday…" Van Pelt said grinning.

"Yeah, exactly! They fell asleep in each other's arms. Maybe we should have woken them before they turned away from each other again…" Rigsby added with the same grin on his face.

"So what? I really don't want to know what the two of you would have done in the back seat…" Cho said flatly. Rigsby and Van Pelt noticeably flushed and dropped the subject.

Jane and Lisbon, meanwhile, were in the elevator and grinning to themselves. The stunned faces of the others were just too hilarious. Lisbon felt Jane's attention resting on her and gave him a knowing sideways glance. This time, she wouldn't start talking. If he wanted to say something, then he should do it without her prompt or else he should just leave it completely.

"Have I told you that you look kind of sexy today?" He finally asked when they'd already left the elevator.

She was stunned by his forward comment. "No, but thanks I guess…"

"Are you also wearing the matching underwear to your sexy appearance?" He questioned, giggling like a child. Now she was catching his drift, and punished him with an unnerved glance.

"Jane, for the last time: I do not have sexy underwear!" She snapped.

"Then we need to change that!" He said with a broad grin as he noticed that she blushed at the thought of him going to buy underwear for her.

"That will not be necessary…" She muttered through her blushing.

"Too bad. Then we'll have to leave it at a dinner for now." He said amused and held the door of his Citroen open for her.

"For now? What happened to seducing over a meal is sophomoric?" She commented and got inside. He hurried to the other side and took the driver's seat.

"Who says that I want to seduce you?" He asked smugly.

"Nobody…" She said quickly and looked out the window. Why did she even started with this conversation? Basically, he started it, but to tease her! She didn't need to spur him on!

"Oh, really? I'm amazed that you remember that conversation so well. Were you perhaps disappointed that I didn't seduce you?" He asked, smiling cheekily.

"Jane, if you don't stop immediately, you can have dinner on your own!" She threatened, but he quickly started the engine and drove off.

"Too late." He said with a boyish grin and she couldn't help herself from smiling.

"I'm warning you, Jane! No funny stuff." She warned him, but his playful smile stayed.

"Really?" He asked, stepping on the gas until they were far beyond the speed limit and watched as her eyes grew with alarm. He couldn't help the chuckle from bubbling up and out.

Whether it was by the sudden acceleration or maybe that heart flutter-inducing chuckle, she realized that she was actually on her way on a date with Jane. Well, a maybe-date. But where was the difference anyway?

Something inside of her was yelling: 'There is no difference, idiot! It's a date and you like it more than you want to admit!' And by the way her heart was beating like a crazy in love teenager's, she couldn't argue.

Her feelings for her consultant were long past maybe. They were definitely beyond the professional boundaries.

But no matter what would come of it, one thing she was sure: She was going on a date with Patrick Jane. And a date with Jane would certainly not be boring!

THE END


End file.
